A cracked solar panel, a flipped kart and a driver who refused to get back behind the wheel. All in a day's work at SARSEF's annual solar go-kart race.

Students from 11 schools across Arizona gathered April 25 at Musselman Honda Circuit to race the solar-powered go-karts they spent nine months building with their engineer mentors.

SARSEF Program Specialist Kayla Miranda said students in the Racing the Sun program get hands-on experience with welding, electrical and chemical engineering, and coding.

In the most advanced level, where students build a kart from the ground up, Miranda has seen them use everything from jet plane parts to cafeteria chairs — what she calls "the ultimate engineering challenge."

Miranda said she loves seeing the transition from freshmen to seniors as students learn and grow, honing their interpersonal and critical thinking skills.

"I wish I had this kind of preparation while I was in high school," she said.

Students learn everything from safety rules to how to calculate the center of gravity, and Miranda said she enjoys watching their curiosity grow. But for the students, the most excitement this year came on test day.

San Miguel High School's legacy team had split their rear axle for greater mobility and speed, racing a track measured and calculated by the program's engineers.

Despite high winds, the San Miguel team's kart topped out at 25 mph before it flipped, shattering the kart's 50-watt solar panel.

"After we crashed, we had to put it all back together," said team member Angel Gonzalez. "It was a pretty major setback, but we were able to get it done."

The driver, shaken but unharmed, chose not to get back behind the wheel.

Representatives from Apollo Racing handed out stickers, with many teams naming and decorating their karts with themes from popular culture, including Star Wars and Lightning McQueen from Pixar's "Cars."

The event also featured activity tables hosted by sponsors including TEP and Caterpillar, where attendees could build kites and race Lego cars.

This year's event was an expansion of previous years and included food trucks, car expos and a raffle.

Racing was competitive, with karts running neck and neck — and some unable to start at all.

When it was over, teams gathered anxiously for the awards ceremony.

After a drumroll and a dramatic pause, Shadow Ridge's Solar Stallions were named overall grand champions. Rio Rico took the Top J&J Engineering Award, given by John Sepp and Jay West to the team they'd most like to work with.

Rio Rico's driver accepted the award alongside teammates dressed in full Spider-Man costumes, matching the car's theme.

"You wanna know why they really won? Check this driver's suit out, it's awesome," Sepp said jokingly as he presented the award.

Lily Cottam is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and intern at Tucson Spotlight.

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